Monolithic structure



March 26, 1940. i E. B. WHITE 2,194,536

` MONOLITHIC STRUCTURE Filed Oct. 29, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 /5/Q/36 'I l /a @al 'J3 Wmv/imola.

March 26, E B' WHlTE 2,194,536

MONOLITHIC STRUCTURE Filed Oct. 29, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 WMM/EMM.

'PatentedM-anZ., 1940 t v v Y' UNI'I'ED- STATES PATENT j OFFICE MoNoLrrnIc STRUCTURE Eigener. oakrark, l111. Application October 1937, Serial No. 171,728

l13 Claims... (o1. 7219665 v My invention is concerned with ay reproof, Fig. 3 is a View in section on the line 3-,3 of

monolithic building construction, and is designed Fig. 2; l l to produce a novel structure, preferably formed Figs. 4, 5 and 6 are views similar to Figs. 1?, 2 I by my novel method, which structure shall em and 3 but showing a modified construction in 5 body a minimum of concrete or similar plastic, which the metal channels are dispensed with; 5

material, with a minimum of reenforcing ma Fig. 7 is an enlarged detail in perspective show'- Iterial and at a minimum expense, and in the ing how'the reenforcing material of the slabs may preferred form without the necessity of employbe connected to the reeni'orcing material of the ing form-work or shoring.' beams; and l l To this end, in the preferred form, I employ Fig. 8 is a detail in vertical section showing 10 for the-beam members of a floor, roof, or similar a modified structure for the same purpose as that structure, channels formed of sheet metal and. shown in Fig. 7. adapted to be fabricated lto -the desired lengths As heretofore constructed reenforced concrete in the shop, and preferably having a rein-forcing buildings, land especially the floors thereof, have rod or rods secured therein at that time. These usually been composed of comparatively thin l beam members as so far described are: of them-y sheets or slabs of reenforced concrete strengthselves of suihcient strength to support the Workened by employing reenforced concrete` beams men in placing'them, and the floor slabs which beneath the slabs and integral therewith; and they support and which are iinally connected of such size and so located as might be necessary thereto as described. A v y v to give ythe desired strength for the particular 20 For the body or the flooring or roong 1 prefloadthe floor is expected to sustain.

erably employ thin, precast slabs of concrete or To make these, removable forms and form some'fsimilar plastic material which has rein-` work supportedby shoring had to be employed, forcing material, preferably composed of sheets all of'which had to be removed after theconv z54 of expanded metal or welded steel wire mesh excrete had set, all of which; involved extra expense 25 tendingthroughout the length thereof and proandA delay. l jecting from their ends, for the purpose hereinln carrying out my invention in its lreferred after described. These are secured on or to the manner, in place of the forms for the beams beams by placing the expanded metal or other above referred to, I employ channels It of sheet 3o reinforcing material projecting from the ends metal, possibly as thin as le of an inch, andv 30 yof the slabs in the hollow of the channels; 'and of the shape shown and with the inwardly pro-l pouring concrete or so-me similarmaterial into jecting ilanges IIJ at their open sides. These the channels, thereby binding theslabs to' the are supported at their endsv upon the foundations concretef'beams, which are further reinforced by 2|, and upon` intermediate girders 2l). if vthe size the expanded metal ofthe slabs in additionA to ofthe building is such as to require their use. 35 the reinforcing rods primarily employed for that They will contain the longitudinal reenforcing purpose. f rods I5, preferably welded in place at the factory While the sheet metal channels covering them in the pro-per position and supported by saddlesfurnish some additional reenforcement, theirpri- 22, likewise secured in place vin the beams.

40 mary function is that of forming the molds for `I preferably form the floor proper by slab memthe'beams, since the reenforced beamsl when bers II, preferably pre-cast at the factory and hardened are strong enough to carry any load `made of any desired plastic material properly to which they may be subjected without the help reenforced, as by strips of expanded metal I2, of ythe channels which might become useless. as the endsvof which must project from the ends of a reenfo-rcement in the event .of a fire Awhich! the slabs ll, so thatV the projecting ends can, be 45 should reach and distort them. A I bent downinto the channels as see-n in Figsl l TOxllllSIaie my l'lventrl I imnX her-@t0 BWG vand 3. I use iloor slabs Il of such a length, sheets 0f drawings, in Which the Same reference that, as Seen in Figs. 1 and 3, their ends just characters are used to designate the identical reach over the flanges lllab fof alternatefchannels c 50 parts in all the gures of which: l0, and at the center so that it will register with 50' Fig. 1 is a perspective View of a portion of ,a the intermediate channel which it crosses, I form woor structure employing my invention and 'with the dowel hole I3. Into the space between the various portions thereof broken away; ends ofthexslabs I pour a thin plastic cementi- Fig. v2 is a plan View on a larger scale of a. tiousi material 26, which fills the interior of the u portion of a floor employing my invention; channels l0 and the space between the ends of 55 y the slabs to produce anunbroken floor surface. The cementitious material will flow the length of the channels I 0 and when they are completely filled, it will rise through the dowel holes I3, showing that the pouring is completed, and when it hardens, it assists in holding the yslabs I0 iin place, which., however, is effected mainly by the cementitious material hardening in the expanded metal ends I2, thereby forming a reenforced concrete system. In this manner averystrong, yet light structure is obtained withmonly a frac-V tion of the material heretofore considered essential for such structures. k strong enough to support the men placing the slabs II and pouring the cementitious 'material- 28, no form work or shores are required.,

I obtain the necessary strength by Aformir'ng' hollow metal beam Sectio-n IIJ ofthe designs-hewn.-l in Fig. 3, and I have found it would be necessary,

for this sheet steel section to have a moment of inertia of at least 4.96 inches to the 4th power about the neutral axis of the section. Moment of inertia of the section about the neutral axis 23 as here used is the name for a certain constant depending on the shape of the sheet steel cross-section. In practice I have found it to be desirable that sheet steel of Ithe thickness of at least 16 gauge U. S. Standard, to be used as before stated. i

In the construction of modern buildings-:the

floor spans encountered vary from three to twenty-four "feet, with oor loads varying from 50 pounds per square foot up to 500 pounds. #In order to enable this invention to be used com.- mercially, the size of the sheet steel sectionsy used in forming the supporting beams, should be such as to give the reenforced concrete beams enclosed construction loads in a floor structure without the assistance of the steel channels.-

and 3 between adjacent sheet steel sections :I El may vary considerably, depending upon the depth and gauge of said sections.

As illustrative of the unusual load-carrying capacity of a reenforced light-weight concrete floor, embodying the present invention, and of its remarkable strength compared to its own weight, the following data is furnished for a commercial form of the present reenforced light-weightconcrete system in which the sheet steel sections I6" are shaped as illustrated in Fig. 3 and are spaced apart 36 inches on center and cover-ed with'inter-v locking pre-cast slabswhich are conn'ectedwtogether to form a oor panel. The sheet steel sec-I tions are 41/2 inches by 6 inches as shown, and the pre-cast light-weight concrete slabs are two inches thick with extended expanded metal reen forcing I2, serving as the web and shear concrete'' beam reenforcing and means of connection. 'The weight in pounds per square foot of the entire panel, including beams: and floor, is 2l pounds,

capable of carrying a safe live load of 80 pound per square foot, with a span of 16 feet.

The foregoing description of the structure shown in Figs. l, 2 and 3 and the generic claims directed thereto may be consid-ered as a division'.

or continuation of my application Serial No. 102,669, filed September 26, 1936,' and in Figs-4 to |l', I have shown a modified structure erected by a somewhat modified method.

The slabs I I are constructed just the sameand are provided with the central dowel holes I3 for.

the same purpose, but I have shown reenforcing material I2a as consisting of welded steel wire The channels I0 being In practice I- have found that the spacing indicated. in ligs.` 2

mesh with its projecting endsA turned down and extending into the channelsl Iilb, which in this form consist of the board forms heretofore com' monly used and supported upon the foundations 2| and upon intermediate girders 2B, and intermediately upon the removable shoring Ic, their relation to the girder `and foundations being such that these forms Ib can be removed when the concrete is hardened. The channels lllb will contain-the .reenforcing rods I5 as before and the dimensionsfof `the Abeams and reenforcing rods will be such that the beams will support the deth boards Ib are removed.

/ 'Toi increase the monolithic effect, before the ,cementitious lmaterial 26 is poured, I place in the dowelv holes I3, the metal loops or stirrups ,sired load when the concrete has hardened and 1lil 36, Which-;connect the reenforcing material I2vor I2@v vwith the rods I5, and these loops may be of anyidesired shape or arrangement for this purpose, yas for example that shown in Figs. 6 and 7, wher-e the bottoms .of the loops hang over a weldedzjuncture of the steel wire mesh and their ends extend down into the plane of the rods I5, or, as shown in Fig. 8, in which the bottom'of the/,loop 36 restson or is beneath the rod l5 and its ends are turnedover to engage the reenforce, y

ing'material I2 or the sides of the dowel hole Il.'v

It will be obvious that the fundamental'method..

of `erecting the structure in 'this modified form is-the same as where lthe metal channel is em;

ployed, except for the added step of removin the wooden channelv and itsI supports. j:

WhileI haveshown anddescribed my novel structure as embodied in the form which I -at present consider. best adapted to carry out its purposes, and as erected by the best method, it will be understood that it is capable of modifications, and that I do not desire to be limited in the interpretation of thefollowing claims, except asmay be necessitated by the state of the prior art. i

yWhat I claim as' new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United State is:

1. In al monolithic cementitiousstructure,the

combination` with parallel beams of thin sheetmetal having -a channel shape in cross section, of slabs of` hardened plastic material` with thel oendsfof the slabs in alignment separated where they rest on the beams, reenforcing material .for

the slabsextending throughout their length and having itsendsI extending `into the beams wherey their. ends are separated, hardened plastic rma#y terial filling the beams and spaces-between the ends of the slabs, the slabs extending across an intermediate channeland alternating` so that adjacent slabs have their ends resting on diiferent beams, saidslabs extending over the intermediate beams having dowel apertures filled bythe hardened plastic material registered with said in-Y termediate beams, and reenforcingmembers extending'through the dowel holes downvinto'the hollow of the'beam.

2. InI a monolithic cementitious structure, .the

combination with a thin metallicchannel having flanges at its open side, of slabs consisting 'of re# enforced cementitious material extendingl across said channel and having dowel holes registeredl with the 'opening of the channel, reenforcing ma'v terial entirely separated therefrom extending throughout the length of the channel l.but sep`arate therefrom a 4short distance above vits bottom, j Stirrups placed in said vdowel holes and engaging,

the reenforcing material of the slabs and extendy ing into the yplane of the reenforcingmaterial4 ends resting on said flanges and the reenforcing material projecting from the ends and extending down into the channels and with dowel holes therein registering with the open sides of the channels they cross, and cementitious material filling the channels and dowel holes and surrounding the'reenforcing rods and the reenforcing material extended thereinto to form a monolithic T-beam structure. y

4. A flreproof monolithic structure as described in claim 3 in which there are stirrups in the dowel holes engaging the reenforcing material of the slabs 4and extending to the reenforcing rods for 'the purpose described.

5. In a monolithic cementitious structure, the combination with a series of cementitious beams having their upper portions narrowed by the formation of offsets in each side thereof and provided with integral reinforcing material extending the entire length thereofand completely imbedded therein, of slabs extending across some of the beams and having dowel holes therein registering with the beams they cross and their ends resting on the offsets of other beams, the dowel holes of the slabs being filled by the cementitious material of the beams they cross.

6. A monolithic cementitious structure as described in claim 5 in which reinforcing material extends through the dowel holes and is imbedded in the cementitious material.

7. In a monolithic cementitious structure, the combination with a thin metallic channel having flanges at its open side, of slabs extending across said channel and having dowel holes registering with the opening of the channel, cementitious material lling said channel and extending up through and filling said dowel holes in the slabs, and stirrups placed in said dowel holes and engaging the reinforcing material of the slabs and extending close to the bottom of the channels.

8. In a building construction, the combination with parallel horizontal beams of thin sheet metal having a channel shape in cross section with their open sides uppermost, of slabs of hardened plasslabs in alignment separated where they rest on the beams, reinforcing material for the slabs extending throughout their length and having its ends extending into the beams where their ends are separated, and hardened plastic material filling the beams and spaces between the ends of the slabs, the slabs extending across an intermediate channel and alternating so that adjacent slabs have their ends resting on different beams, and having dowel holes in the slabs extending over the intermediate channels registered therewith and filled with the hardened plastic material.

9. In a building construction, the combination with parallel horizontal beams of thin sheet metal having a channel shape in cross section with their open sides uppermost, of slabs of hardened plastic material resting thereon, with the ends of the slabs in alignment separated where they rest on the beams, reinforcing material for the slabs extending throughout their length and having its ends extending into the beams where their ends are separated, hardened plastic material filling the beams and spaces between the ends of the slabs, the slabs extending across an intermediate channel and alternating so that adjacent slabs have their ends resting on different beams, and having dowel holes in the slabs extending over the intermediate channels registered therewith and lled with the hardened plastic material, and reinforcing members which extend through the dowel holes clown into the hollow of the beam.

10. In a monolithic ,cementitious structure, the combination with a series of cementitious beams suitably reinforced throughout their entire length, of precast cementitious slabs suitably reinforced throughout their entire length with the reinforcements at their ends extending into the beams on which said ends rest, some of the slabs spanning and crossing the beams between their ends, and having dowel holes therein registering with said beams, the cementitiousl material of said beams extending up through said said dowel holes as and for the purpose described.

l1. A monolithic cementitious structure as described in claim 10 in which there is reinforcing material extending up through said dowel holes.

12. A monolithic cementitious structure as described in claim 10 in which there is reinforcing material extending up through said dowel holes and connecting the reinforcing material of the beams with that of the slabs.

13. A monolithic cementitious structure as described in claim 10 in which reinforcing stirrups extend up through said holes.

EUGENE B. WHITE. 

